Google’s August Algorithm Update and What it Means for You

Those that keep a careful eye on their organic Google rankings may have noticed some changes last week as Google rolled out a major algorithm update.

Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) have seen a lot of change since last week, with rankings showing as particularly volatile:

What this means is that the Google algorithm has changed and is busy re-ordering the search results for many of the queries. This will result in some rankings improving while others lose out due to the changes.

Unlike some search engine updates, Google actually confirmed this one in a tweet on Wednesday:

This week we released a broad core algorithm update, as we do several times per year. Our guidance about such updates remains the same as in March, as we covered here: https://t.co/uPlEdSLHoX

Google states that these algorithm updates are to improve the relevancy of results. Rather than punishing websites and webpages for poor content, this update is instead intended to promote more relevant content, resulting in better search results for users.

While we can see that the rankings are still fluctuating, these should settle down soon so that website owners can again see where they truly rank for certain keywords.

For those that may have lost ranking positions during the update, Google has this advice:

There’s no “fix” for pages that may perform less well other than to remain focused on building great content. Over time, it may be that your content may rise relative to other pages.

This update shouldn’t result in a change of your SEO strategy, your website should always be focussed on delivering great content that is relevant to users.

To find out more about how to benefit from this Google update and improve your website's SEO, contact us.